The controversial decision to allow the no-fault eviction ban lapse on March 31st has barely left the news cycle since the Minister for Housing announced it three weeks ago.
Darragh O’Brien insists that reimposing the embargo would exacerbate the housing supply crisis. Meanwhile, thousands of renters brace themselves for potential Notices to Quit and homeless services voice concerns over their capacity to cope with the fallout.
The government is introducing a first-refusal-to-buy scheme known as the ‘backstop’, aimed at allowing renters to strike a purchasing deal with their landlord. But it’s not clear how this will work in practice.
In a country where property has traditionally been seen as a route to financial security, landlords and renters are on a collision course of competing interests.
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But are the rest of us standing idly by as human tragedies play out, and should they override an investor’s right to their asset?
Aideen Finnegan speaks to The Irish Times’ Patrick Freyne, Jack Horgan Jones and homeless woman and activist, Jessica Freed.
